“How much is a bolt really worth” haha almost nothing monetarily but in terms of intrinsic value they can be the most crucially needed item on the road. :)
I had one and used it for several trips. I would remove it when not bikepacking and eventually had to throw it away due to the railing mount being warped and stressed. Would not recommend until they fix the mounting system along the rails.
Dude! I have the same Ortlieb seat pack. What bothers me is the sway and sag under load. I have to push bulky heavy items all the way into the small tip of the bag which normally wastes so much space. I really hope this item can work as advertise.
Thanks for posting this review. Here is my challenge: I am doing an adventure race. The full race will cover about 300 miles (crosses Florida) and I would guesstimate that about 200 of that will be on the bike. Of that, I would guesstimate (the course is secret except where it starts and stops and a couple areas we can be confident will be included) about 100 on dirt/gravel roads, about 50-70 on pavement and about 30-50 on single track trails. I don't want to wear a backpack on the bike, since that makes saddle soreness that much worse. BUT, I do need to have a backpack in this race for the other sections and don't want to have to carefully make sure every item in the backpack gets transferred onto the bike and bike each transition onto or off of the bike. My solution initially a cargo deck with a plastic bin zip tied to it and some bungees on it. I take the pack and just put it into that, using the bungees to keep it from bouncing out. That looks ridiculous, which is fine, and it worked ok last time I did this race, but the fairly long lever of the cargo deck made the balance sketchy when moving slowly or when trying to walk the bike or carry it or lift it over something, all of which will happen in the race. So I got a frame bag that is big enough to hold my hydration bladder and my lights and batteries. That mitigates the amount of weight back there. It does require me to put a bottle in the bin. That can bounce out but I have a solution for that, I think. But still leaves a few pounds about a foot or more back of the saddle and at about saddle height. So now I am considering a saddle bag like that Ortleib in your video that can get some of that weight closer to the saddle and below it, IF I can stuff the whole backpack (an OutThere USA MS2 which is 15L capacity) in the bag so when it is time to transition I can just take it out and go), and then something like this Woho device to put a couple big bottles for liquid fuel, along with the stabilization it supplies. My understanding is since your review they have addressed the problem with clearance between rider's butt and bottles by allowing you to angle bottles back (which might also reduce slightly the aerodynamic drag they add). Any thoughts on either that solution, or another suggestion, or both? Thanks.
More cage designs have made the odd placement of the bosses easier to work around, but I don't think the woho design itself has changed the bolt placement on the woho rails. monkii cages on the woho site look interesting, but I have not tested. www.wohobike.com/collections/xtouring-bikepacking-gear/products/dhl-express-xtouring-anti-sway-anti-sway-brooks-b-vision-monkey-cage-bundle-dhl-express For the adventure race I would for sure go light on the water bottles if you use the Woho. The weak point in this design is the saddle rail attachment. For the off road sections, the woho mount cages tend to eject bottles on really chunky sections. The Woho really helps with the sway, for your race just make sure it has fresh locktite, good to go. Mine only showed issues after 1600 miles or so. That race sounds fun, hope this helps.
Thanks for the review. I am deciding whether to buy an Ortlieb saddlebag or the German MSX Mainstream brand. I'm going to buy a WoHo stabilizer and my concern is precisely if it causes damage to the saddle bag and the saddle, mine is a Brooks B17. I found it very interesting to be able to carry two extra bottles of water.
Very exhaustive review of the important pros and cons. I have been using an Alpkit ExoRail (with an Alpkit Koala bag), but limitations of the ExoRail have led me to look for alternatives. The Anti-Sway stabiliser looks like a good idea in practice, but I really don't like the idea of the clamp crushing the saddle rails of my expensive Brooks saddle! As you said, I think they need to do a little more R&D.
I've heard electrical tape could work, or perhaps Plasti Dip? I never spent the time to DIY a fix. The straps never broke for me, I'm merely showing that without modifying the product, it caused minor wear ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The best solutions I've found are the bags that actually include stabilization in the construction. Porcelain rocket rocket has some innovative bags that integrate stabilization, but they are harder to come by. I'd honestly say just get a rack for the affordable option, or go with something like the Tailfin or Relevate Designs SPINELOCK.
Thanks for posting this review. Your solution for the hight of the bottles was great. King Cage also has a low rider type cage that could probably work well with regular bottles. Your point on the difficulty of removing and attaching the bag with it on was also a concern of mine. Do you think the holster type bags would not only make it easier, but also maybe help prevent premature wear on the holster and its straps?
It's possible, but I think it has more to do with where the straps are on the bag. In my case, the straps are sandwiched between the stabilizer and the body of the bag. As the stabilizer does it's job it grinds into the straps and is a source of friction. I will also note that the width of the device only allows for a bag around 5 inches (12.5cm), so if your bag is slightly wider than that it will rub like mine did.
@@bikepackinglight1829 Many chinese companies use youtube reviewers as product testers, so it's possible, but credit won't be given. I commend you myself on pointing that out. Kudos
Thank you for this excellent review. I just have 2 questions : did you have a carbon rail ? And how rough was your trip ? I'm considering this for a world tour but I wonder how durable it can be
No, I don't have carbon seat rails, and I would not recommend this for use on carbon rails. Also the durability issues I described in the review lead me to think it might not hold up for a world tour.
Oh, for your second question, my trip had a few off-road sections but was mostly on paved roads. I will note that on really rough ground the bottles have a tendency to eject, this is common on the aero bottle cages as well which mount in the same position.
Thanks for sharing your review. After watching I bought the Waho Saddle Bag Stabilizer. I took note of the fact that you actually lost one of the screws during your trip, so I used bolts and nuts to attach it to my saddle rails. Also, I used an adapter to lower the postion of the bottle cages. Here is my review, if you are interested : ua-cam.com/video/sTiOUyZLHIA/v-deo.html
“How much is a bolt really worth” haha almost nothing monetarily but in terms of intrinsic value they can be the most crucially needed item on the road. :)
I had one and used it for several trips. I would remove it when not bikepacking and eventually had to throw it away due to the railing mount being warped and stressed. Would not recommend until they fix the mounting system along the rails.
Dude! I have the same Ortlieb seat pack. What bothers me is the sway and sag under load. I have to push bulky heavy items all the way into the small tip of the bag which normally wastes so much space. I really hope this item can work as advertise.
Thanks for posting this review. Here is my challenge: I am doing an adventure race. The full race will cover about 300 miles (crosses Florida) and I would guesstimate that about 200 of that will be on the bike. Of that, I would guesstimate (the course is secret except where it starts and stops and a couple areas we can be confident will be included) about 100 on dirt/gravel roads, about 50-70 on pavement and about 30-50 on single track trails. I don't want to wear a backpack on the bike, since that makes saddle soreness that much worse. BUT, I do need to have a backpack in this race for the other sections and don't want to have to carefully make sure every item in the backpack gets transferred onto the bike and bike each transition onto or off of the bike. My solution initially a cargo deck with a plastic bin zip tied to it and some bungees on it. I take the pack and just put it into that, using the bungees to keep it from bouncing out. That looks ridiculous, which is fine, and it worked ok last time I did this race, but the fairly long lever of the cargo deck made the balance sketchy when moving slowly or when trying to walk the bike or carry it or lift it over something, all of which will happen in the race. So I got a frame bag that is big enough to hold my hydration bladder and my lights and batteries. That mitigates the amount of weight back there. It does require me to put a bottle in the bin. That can bounce out but I have a solution for that, I think. But still leaves a few pounds about a foot or more back of the saddle and at about saddle height. So now I am considering a saddle bag like that Ortleib in your video that can get some of that weight closer to the saddle and below it, IF I can stuff the whole backpack (an OutThere USA MS2 which is 15L capacity) in the bag so when it is time to transition I can just take it out and go), and then something like this Woho device to put a couple big bottles for liquid fuel, along with the stabilization it supplies. My understanding is since your review they have addressed the problem with clearance between rider's butt and bottles by allowing you to angle bottles back (which might also reduce slightly the aerodynamic drag they add). Any thoughts on either that solution, or another suggestion, or both? Thanks.
More cage designs have made the odd placement of the bosses easier to work around, but I don't think the woho design itself has changed the bolt placement on the woho rails. monkii cages on the woho site look interesting, but I have not tested. www.wohobike.com/collections/xtouring-bikepacking-gear/products/dhl-express-xtouring-anti-sway-anti-sway-brooks-b-vision-monkey-cage-bundle-dhl-express For the adventure race I would for sure go light on the water bottles if you use the Woho. The weak point in this design is the saddle rail attachment. For the off road sections, the woho mount cages tend to eject bottles on really chunky sections. The Woho really helps with the sway, for your race just make sure it has fresh locktite, good to go. Mine only showed issues after 1600 miles or so. That race sounds fun, hope this helps.
Thanks for the review. I am deciding whether to buy an Ortlieb saddlebag or the German MSX Mainstream brand. I'm going to buy a WoHo stabilizer and my concern is precisely if it causes damage to the saddle bag and the saddle, mine is a Brooks B17. I found it very interesting to be able to carry two extra bottles of water.
Very exhaustive review of the important pros and cons. I have been using an Alpkit ExoRail (with an Alpkit Koala bag), but limitations of the ExoRail have led me to look for alternatives. The Anti-Sway stabiliser looks like a good idea in practice, but I really don't like the idea of the clamp crushing the saddle rails of my expensive Brooks saddle! As you said, I think they need to do a little more R&D.
Will using some electrical tapes around the rails help to reduce the wear? Just replace the taps and they are cheap.
I've heard electrical tape could work, or perhaps Plasti Dip? I never spent the time to DIY a fix. The straps never broke for me, I'm merely showing that without modifying the product, it caused minor wear ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@Bikepacking Light: Great and very informative review! Thank you!
perhaps use some nylock nuts or even use blue loctite as an additional measure against nuts/bolts coming loose.
The loctite lasts for a while, but came loose several times for me. Probably lasts 300 miles or so between applications.
Very helpful - thanks! Have you gotten aware of any similar solutions in the meanwhile?
The best solutions I've found are the bags that actually include stabilization in the construction. Porcelain rocket rocket has some innovative bags that integrate stabilization, but they are harder to come by. I'd honestly say just get a rack for the affordable option, or go with something like the Tailfin or Relevate Designs SPINELOCK.
Thanks for posting this review. Your solution for the hight of the bottles was great. King Cage also has a low rider type cage that could probably work well with regular bottles. Your point on the difficulty of removing and attaching the bag with it on was also a concern of mine. Do you think the holster type bags would not only make it easier, but also maybe help prevent premature wear on the holster and its straps?
It's possible, but I think it has more to do with where the straps are on the bag. In my case, the straps are sandwiched between the stabilizer and the body of the bag. As the stabilizer does it's job it grinds into the straps and is a source of friction. I will also note that the width of the device only allows for a bag around 5 inches (12.5cm), so if your bag is slightly wider than that it will rub like mine did.
Very useful, thank you... sadly this is not the solution I hoped it would be!
thanks for review it's really useful, i have some question: Are you using carbon seatpost? Is it okay with 14L saddle bag with carbon seatpost?
Carbon seat post, but not carbon seat rails. Just make sure your rails are alloy.
@@bikepackinglight1829 thanks for answer, my seat rail is titanium. So carbon seat post is fine.
They have since made it longer so as to not have bottles touch your hips.
I hope this video inspired that change, at least a little bit.
@@bikepackinglight1829 Many chinese companies use youtube reviewers as product testers, so it's possible, but credit won't be given. I commend you myself on pointing that out. Kudos
Thanks for the review!
Thank you for this excellent review.
I just have 2 questions : did you have a carbon rail ? And how rough was your trip ?
I'm considering this for a world tour but I wonder how durable it can be
No, I don't have carbon seat rails, and I would not recommend this for use on carbon rails. Also the durability issues I described in the review lead me to think it might not hold up for a world tour.
Oh, for your second question, my trip had a few off-road sections but was mostly on paved roads. I will note that on really rough ground the bottles have a tendency to eject, this is common on the aero bottle cages as well which mount in the same position.
Thanks for sharing your review. After watching I bought the Waho Saddle Bag Stabilizer. I took note of the fact that you actually lost one of the screws during your trip, so I used bolts and nuts to attach it to my saddle rails. Also, I used an adapter to lower the postion of the bottle cages. Here is my review, if you are interested : ua-cam.com/video/sTiOUyZLHIA/v-deo.html